Brain Injury Association of New York State

Sports and Concussions

Each year more than 750,000 Americans report injuries sustained during recreational sports, with 82,000 involving brain injuries.

Brain injuries causes more deaths than any other sports injury. In football for instance, brain injury account for 65 to 95 percent of all fatalities.

Football

Football injuries associated with the brain occur at a rate of one in every 5.5 games.
Football is responsible for more than 250,000 mild brain injuries in the United States.
In any given season 10 percent of all college players and 20 percent of high school players sustain brain injuries.
Football players with brain injuries are six times as likely to sustain new injuries.
A helmet helps to prevent brain injuries from occurring.
Concussion is the most common consequence of brain injury in contact sports.

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Soccer

About five percent of soccer players sustain brain injuries as a result of their sport. This may occur from head to head contact, falls or being struck by the ball on the head
Heading or hitting the ball with the head is the riskiest activity when done repeatedly. It can cause a concussion. The risk is greater if a small child uses too large a ball.
Girls are injured playing soccer more often than boys.

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Boxing

Brain injuries are the primary objective of this sport. 87 percent of professional boxers have sustained a brain injury.
Chronic brain injury is found more commonly in professional boxers.

Skiing

Injuries from skiing tend to occur at particular times of the day , mostly in the early morning or late afternoon.
Evidence suggests that beginners and less experienced skiers have a higher risk of injury than intermediate or advanced skiers.
Always wear a helmet when skiing for protection during falls and collisions

Horseback Riding

Brain injuries account for 60 percent of equestrian related fatalities and 17 percent of all equestrian injuries are brain injuries.
Always wear a helmet when riding a horse.
Most serious injuries are caused by being separated from the horse while riding or by falling off the horse.

In-Line Skating Roller skating and Skateboarding

Brain Injuries occur when skaters fall and hit their heads on the pavement.
Skating on roads causes a risk of colliding with cars, bicycles, pedestrians, and pets.
Always wear a helmet for protection from falling.

Baseball

The head is involved in more baseball injuries than any other body part. Almost half of the injuries involve a childs head, face, mouth or eyes
The leading cause of injury and death is being hit by the ball; second leading cause is collision.